circles around a sweet little boy wearing a cowboy hat that was practically bigger than he was. A crowd of adults were grinning and clapping as they looked on. I smiled to myself at the cute spectacle.
Colorful paper lanterns hung from the rafters and a live band was playing an upbeat country music song. Some people were two-stepping while others sat nearby watching with plates of pie in their hands, visiting with one another. There was what could only be described as a wholesome, pure excitement in the air, and it was contagious. I was sure it was going to be a good night.
Maggie led me around, chatting happily and introducing me to people. It wasn’t what I was used to. I’d grown up accustomed to a lifestyle that was drastically different than the unhurried, easygoing pace of rural Minnesota. But everyone at the Spring Fling was friendly and welcoming, and I instantly felt like I belonged.
It was a strange feeling...I couldn’t remember ever feeling like I fit in anywhere in my life. The close knit community – and especially the relationship I’d developed with Maggie and Nate Avery – was truly something special. In a way, coming to Minnesota had felt like coming home for the very first time.
A gale of loud, tittering laughter made me turn my head. I saw a young auburn haired woman in a low cut red dress and brown cowgirl boots over at the bar area. She was suggestively draped across some guy. I watched her curiously as she threw her head back, thrusting her ample cleavage out in the process. A minute later she climbed right onto the guy’s lap.
Part of me wished I had the confidence to be carefree and flirty like that. Maybe I wouldn’t go about it in such an overt way, but still... The truth was I didn’t know how to flirt at all. The only guy I’d ever been with was my ex and that had been an unconventional pairing right from the beginning. He’d damaged me in so many ways that not having any experience with flirting should have been the least of my worries.
But part of me couldn’t help but think of Nate.
The way he looked at me made me wonder if he saw something in me that I couldn’t. Sometimes I’d catch him just watching me, almost like he was quietly admiring me as I went about my work or taught Maggie cooking basics or what have you. It always made me feel hot and tingly, and it made me wonder what might happen if only I could let him know how I felt.
Expressing my feelings didn’t come easily to me. Maybe at one point it had, back when I was a little girl. But for far too long, I’d been in the clutches of a controlling, masochistic monster. I’d learned early on how to shut my emotions off, hiding how I really felt so as to make myself less vulnerable. The only problem was I’d learned it too well – now it seemed I didn’t know how to do anything else.
But I could change. Penny had learned to trust humans again, so I could learn to open up again. I was cautiously optimistic about that. So as Maggie visited with someone she knew I snuck away, edging closer to the couple at the bar. Maybe I could get a lesson in Flirtation 101. I could certainly use it.
The woman in the red dress had her back to me, and I could only see the man’s ripped blue jeans and well-worn cowboy boots. I moved closer to the bar so I could get a better look. I wasn’t trying to be voyeuristic, but I figured a little innocent people watching wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. So I sat down on a stool at the far end of the bar and observed them.
Then the woman flipped her long hair and tilted her head to the side. The slight movement allowed me a glimpse of the man’s face. When I saw those familiar, handsome features I spent so much time secretly fantasizing about, my heart instantly sunk.
The flirty young woman was sitting on Nate’s lap! It felt like a punch in the stomach, only worse. I couldn’t breathe. Even though
Colorful paper lanterns hung from the rafters and a live band was playing an upbeat country music song. Some people were two-stepping while others sat nearby watching with plates of pie in their hands, visiting with one another. There was what could only be described as a wholesome, pure excitement in the air, and it was contagious. I was sure it was going to be a good night.
Maggie led me around, chatting happily and introducing me to people. It wasn’t what I was used to. I’d grown up accustomed to a lifestyle that was drastically different than the unhurried, easygoing pace of rural Minnesota. But everyone at the Spring Fling was friendly and welcoming, and I instantly felt like I belonged.
It was a strange feeling...I couldn’t remember ever feeling like I fit in anywhere in my life. The close knit community – and especially the relationship I’d developed with Maggie and Nate Avery – was truly something special. In a way, coming to Minnesota had felt like coming home for the very first time.
A gale of loud, tittering laughter made me turn my head. I saw a young auburn haired woman in a low cut red dress and brown cowgirl boots over at the bar area. She was suggestively draped across some guy. I watched her curiously as she threw her head back, thrusting her ample cleavage out in the process. A minute later she climbed right onto the guy’s lap.
Part of me wished I had the confidence to be carefree and flirty like that. Maybe I wouldn’t go about it in such an overt way, but still... The truth was I didn’t know how to flirt at all. The only guy I’d ever been with was my ex and that had been an unconventional pairing right from the beginning. He’d damaged me in so many ways that not having any experience with flirting should have been the least of my worries.
But part of me couldn’t help but think of Nate.
The way he looked at me made me wonder if he saw something in me that I couldn’t. Sometimes I’d catch him just watching me, almost like he was quietly admiring me as I went about my work or taught Maggie cooking basics or what have you. It always made me feel hot and tingly, and it made me wonder what might happen if only I could let him know how I felt.
Expressing my feelings didn’t come easily to me. Maybe at one point it had, back when I was a little girl. But for far too long, I’d been in the clutches of a controlling, masochistic monster. I’d learned early on how to shut my emotions off, hiding how I really felt so as to make myself less vulnerable. The only problem was I’d learned it too well – now it seemed I didn’t know how to do anything else.
But I could change. Penny had learned to trust humans again, so I could learn to open up again. I was cautiously optimistic about that. So as Maggie visited with someone she knew I snuck away, edging closer to the couple at the bar. Maybe I could get a lesson in Flirtation 101. I could certainly use it.
The woman in the red dress had her back to me, and I could only see the man’s ripped blue jeans and well-worn cowboy boots. I moved closer to the bar so I could get a better look. I wasn’t trying to be voyeuristic, but I figured a little innocent people watching wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. So I sat down on a stool at the far end of the bar and observed them.
Then the woman flipped her long hair and tilted her head to the side. The slight movement allowed me a glimpse of the man’s face. When I saw those familiar, handsome features I spent so much time secretly fantasizing about, my heart instantly sunk.
The flirty young woman was sitting on Nate’s lap! It felt like a punch in the stomach, only worse. I couldn’t breathe. Even though
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